Moving Against the Tides
by cheesyfreezy
Summary: She strolled down the street that leads to the city, on her daily mission to find beauty.  "Matte, baka. Didn't I tell you to buy me the gloves?"- Riruka grimaced.


Finally done it, against all odds. I had a major block and lack of inspiration (still has it) but I forced myself to write this update :) Please excuse the poor in-character-ing and in all whatever I messed up xp

Enjoy~

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><p>"<em>See, Riruka-chan? You really <em>are_ kind."_

_Fade to black._

The sky above was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. The sun contrasted with the background, so cartoonishly that it drew a small, secret smile on the redhead's lips.

"Hmmm, where to start?" Riruka sighed thoughtfully as she strolled down the street that leads to the city, on her daily mission to find beauty.

"Matte, baka. Didn't I tell you to buy me the gloves? You didn't take any money." an irritating voice said calmly, a good 15 feet behind.

Riruka snarled. "I'm not buying you anything, you brat! You get your stupid gloves yourself!" she yelled, a hand on her hips as she looked back at his game-fixated stare.

"Hn. Are you asking me to come with you?" the fair-haired boy kept his amble, walking past the furious girl as her hands strove to choke his lungs out. _'They said the hardship level was 10.'_

"You wish! Go back home, I don't need money!"

"You'll buy me the gloves?" _ 'Ooh, nice; next level._'

"Never!"

"Then no." '_This game turns out quite easier than I thought; might as well get a new one.'_

"Ughh!" she walked past him furious. "Don't follow me, then!"

A tiny smirk. _What a headache._

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><p>"Kawatte~!" Riruka felt glorious. The hairpieces she spotted had her comical cheeks flushed cutely. She had to buy them- no; she <em>needed<em> to buy those muffin-shaped pieces.

"How much are these?" she asked the girl responsible, hugging her new lovers to her chest adoringly.

"These four are 1144 Yen." Said girl replied sweetly.

Riruka reached for her purse, looking for the money. Her hand kept swimming in the small bag as if it was sea-big, while her features turned slowly from joy, to confusion, to worry, then settled on horror.

She forgot the money. _That brat was right!_

"No~" Riruka moaned in despair. "Can I reserve them until tonight?" she asked the girl desperately, tone begging.

"Um, I'm sorry but that's not allowed in our shop." The girl said apologetically.

"B-but you don't understand! If I don't find them I'll die!" just as dramatically as her exclamation, she jumped at the girl, holding the poor thing from her arms tightly.

"S-sorry miss, but c-could you please let go?" the girl stuttered uncomfortably.

"Is there a problem?" the manager came to check upon the commotion that's been made.

"No, sir," Said a calm voice from behind the manager, "my friend just likes hugging people too much."

Riruka flinched at that voice, detaching herself from the girl as the latter rubbed her poor arms.

"Oh, please be quiet, then." The man disregarded it, "Is there something you would like to get from our store?" he asked, eyeing the boy who didn't take his eyes off of the game in his hands.

"Here, I'll take those pins and the girl attached to them." Yukio handed the older man some money, reaching for Riruka's wrest. "Sorry for the disturbance." He apologized on the girl's behalf, dragging her out and into the street.

"What the hell? Let go of me, you brat! Didn't I tell you not to follow me? What, are you stalking me now?" Riruka snatched her wrest from his hold as his hand directly resumed pressing buttons.

"You're welcome." He walked ahead of her. She followed annoyed, and broke.

They walked a few minutes in silence, only disturbed by the noise of the city. He with a steady pace ahead, she with a joyful stride barely behind, adoring the colorful pins.

Yukio lead them into an ornaments' shop, briefly shoving his game into his pocket as he examined a pair of gloves that caught his eyes.

He looked around for the shop-keeper, and paid for the new gloves before wearing them.

Yukio resumed the game as soon as he started walking to the door, enjoying the advanced level of the game he purchased not two hours ago. '_At least I didn't pass to the third level in five minutes with- ha?'_

Leaning down, Yukio picked the familiar white bunny hat up, looking for its annoying owner.

"So adorable~" Riruka gloated about the beauty of the pins on her hair as she stood before a mirror. Yukio walked over to her displeased, one hand playing as the other held her hat.

"How could you just drop your hat, idiot?" he stood there, handing her said childish hat.

Riruka's attention slightly diverted from her pins to eye the object, the stars in her eyes vanishing. "What's it to ya?" she scowled at him distastefully. She barely caught the hat as he tossed it at her.

"The floor makes it look better than you do, though." He tantalized.

"Not better than it does yours." she retorted, flinging his hat off his head with a toss.

"Pick it up." He ordered, not bothering enough to look up.

"Afraid to look ugly with your hair?" she teased back, suddenly pulling her own hat atop his head.

Yukio flinched, having a disturbed grimace as she inspected him with a finger to her chin.

"Even beautiful things couldn't make you any cute. How worthless." She sighed, picking up the black béret before wearing it.

"And even ugly things couldn't make me any less cute." She uttered, satisfied with her reflection.

"Would you be kind enough to end this humiliation?" the flaxen beside her said to her reflection, a little edge in his voice.

"Hmph, since when are you nice?" she twirled one of her piggy tails with one finger, fixing the béret so the pins were visible.

"Stop flirting with me and give me back my hat." He resumed playing, now bored with their useless conversation.

"I'm _what_?" she shrieked incredulously, "You brat! Who do you think you are? You're not even nice!"

Tired from her voice, Yukio sneered at her with a small frown, placing a hand on the crown of her head.

Riruka was taken aback for a second, having very small, faded particles of pink dusk adoring her cheeks before he snatched his hat back.

Laying her hat in her hand, Yukio positioned his hat back on his head as he tried not to show his victorious smirk on her almost-visible slip. _'Well, this is more fun than the game'_

Riruka huffed as she wore her own hat back, aimlessly messing up her pins. _'It looked better on me, anyw-'_

The girl recoiled as suddenly; Yukio stood not three inches in front of her, eyes fixated on her head as he fixed her hat back a little.

"You're ruining the pins." He said in a low tone, setting Riruka's face the red of her hair. The blonde's fingers smoothed her bangs behind her ears. He moved closer; scarcely bumping the tips of their noses. "Stay silent for the rest of the night, and I'll never mention your shameless blush to anyone. Deal?" he wore a rare handsome smirk as he purposely fanned her nostrils with his breath.

Riruka inhaled deeply, her eyes slanting dimly with each word. Too embarrassed to utter a coherent thought, let alone speak, she nodded lightly and licked her suddenly dry lips.

Yukio's stare shifted to her lips momentarily, fingertips falling across her neck as a minute shiver made its way up his spine. He suddenly moved back, leaving the girl to collect herself.

To her chagrin, Riruka's annoyance was hardly comparable to her mortification. She wordlessly followed the reason for both out of the store.

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><p>Once they were away from the oddly comforting blare of the city, Riruka battered her tiny fists in struggle not to pull his hair harshly. Her annoyance was more notable now, but she flushed lightly every few minutes as she remembered how close she was to feel his breath with more than just her nose.<p>

Yukio, though very pleased with her silence, couldn't help looking back to check on her. Noticing her inner-battle with evidence formed on fists and scowl, Yukio grinned lightly.

"How come you don't stay this quiet much? It's very nice not to hear your voice so often." He taunted.

Riruka snapped, "Why I oughtta—" a hand flew to her mouth as he sent her a playful, scoffing glare.

"See, Riruka-chan? You really _are_ kind;" His tone was mocking her further, pushing her buttons harsher than the ones of his game, "learning to control your violence."

'_I knew I shouldn't have entered that ridiculous toy of his.' _Never thinking against him with this, unlike the time in which the orange-haired girl announced the same statement to her.

Deep breath, _'I really am kind.'_ She thought as she held herself from killing him slowly and painfully.

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><p>The clock pointed 1:38. Yukio was still trying to sleep as he set his game aside. He was having a hard time thinking of other things- <em>any<em>thing _but_ the soft feeling that tingled his fingertips still.

'_I should keep my hands to my toy next time.'_ He couldn't afford losing himself, like he almost did today. That's _if_ he made a "next time" again. But did he regret it?

Yukio half smiled as he remembered sweet shivers and the power he had over her.

In another room, Riruka was laying merrily, holding her dear new pins in one hand, and tracing her lips with the other_. 'It was so strong it was almost sickening! Like his face… his uncute, wrongly-arranged face…'_ she smiled to herself at the scent that stuck in her lungs like a scar. At least she was dignified with the miniature quiver he gave when she bit her lips then.

They both couldn't sleep, but woke up with higher spirits than usual the next morning. Jackie was sure what she thought Yukio was capable of doing has been done, hiding her smirk behind her teacup while she sipped from it. Eyeing Ginjō victoriously as he held a lost look to Riruka's tiny smile, she decided to keep her notes to herself.

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><p><strong>Please don't hate me! 'hides behind her sheet' I tried with all my might to keep them in character, but this is the best I could do, mind you, with all the spiciness I couldn't help but adding... 'hides behind the pillow'. Well, hope you guys enjoyed! Reviewers will go to heaven. <strong>


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